Spoken languages, such as the English language, are traditionally first learned by hearing and speaking and are then learned in writing (i.e., how to read and spell a particular word). The transition from learning a word orally (and aurally) to learning how to read and spell that word is often difficult for individuals first becoming acquainted to that particular language (e.g., children or individuals learning a foreign language). This transition is particularly difficult within the English language due to the wide variety of word origins (e.g., Latin, Greek, or French) that effect the pronunciation and spelling of various words. The inherent intricacies required in traditional orthography (i.e., how words are spelled) traditionally require learning how to spell or read words by rote or repetition or by memorizing confusing “rules” that include numerous exceptions or errors (e.g., “i” before “ee”, except after “c” . . . ). Learning to spell, read, and pronounce words in this manner is often difficult, time consuming, and frustrating.
Attempts have been made to devise phonetic learning systems, or “phonics”, which associate the sound components of a word with graphic symbols or pictures. While these systems do provide a relatively easy way to learn the component sounds that make up words, they do not teach how the associated word is spelled in traditional orthography. Other systems rely on diacritical markings or symbols which are added to letters to represent a certain sound (e.g., the “ā” symbol used to represent the “long a” sound).
While these current systems do effectively permit a user to “sound out” or pronounce a particular word, they do not permit a user to readily type the words phonetically using a conventional typewriter/keyboard. With the increasing prevalence of computer based teaching and learning techniques, it is important to be able to type a word phonetically in order to further facilitate learning using all of the tools available in these modern times. By using graphic symbols and/or diacritical markings which are not readily typeable on a conventional keyboard, however, the current phonetic systems cannot take advantage of all the teaching/learning tools available today.
Additionally, traditional dictionaries are often the source utilized in determining the correct orthographic spelling of a particular word. These dictionaries are formatted and ordered in a manner (i.e., alphabetically) which presents the orthographic spelling of a word followed by the phonetic spelling, using diacritical markings, to aid in pronouncing the word. These dictionaries, however, cannot assist a user who is attempting to orthographically spell a word while only knowing the pronunciation of the word (i.e., only knows the phonetic spelling of the word).
There is therefore a need for a new and improved method and apparatus which overcomes at least some of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior phonetic alphabets and systems, which provides a typeable phonetic alphabet and is assembled in a manner which first arranges words phonetically and then provides the orthographic spelling, thereby permitting a user to easily learn the orthographic spelling of a word based only upon the pronunciation of that word.